Appeals court weighs home-schoolers’ asylum bid

CINCINNATI (AP) — A federal appeals court is weighing whether a family of home-schoolers from Germany should be granted asylum and allowed to continue living in Tennessee.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Tuesday sharply questioned attorneys for Uwe and Hannelore Romeike (roh-MEYE-kee). The couple is seeking permanent refuge in the United States, saying Germany’s law requiring all children to attend public or private school, face jail time or have the children taken away amounts to persecution.

The Romeikes want to home-school their six children and have been doing so since arriving in Morristown, Tenn., in 2008.

A federal immigration court granted the asylum request in 2010, but an appeals board overturned that decision in 2011 as erroneous.